I think I have a shin stress fracture, how long do they take to heal?

I've read in a medical journal that the difference between the pain in shinsplints, and in stress fractures is that if you can pinpoint the pain to a single spot in your shin, about the size of a nickel or a dime then its most likely stress fractures... well its killing me, it hurts if I ever do anything that puts a lot of pressure on my left leg... and I'm wanting to get in shape to join the Army in like 3 months... but I can't run anymore because well the stress fracture... I take the Centrum multi-vit/mineral supplement every morning, and a Caltrate Calcium/Vit D every night ... that plus a good diet how long do you think it will take for it to heal? And how will I know it's healed, like right now it doesn't hurt, but if I go out and run for a couple minutes my leg will hurt like hell.. thank you.

I think I have a shin stress fracture, how long do they take to heal?comedy club

I feel your pain, man. I've had to deal with both metatarsal and tibia stress fractures, and both can be quite dampening to both training fitness and emotional fitness. Typically, tibia stress fractures take 6-8 weeks minimum to heal, with some cases taking upwards of one year. My advice to you is to first ascertain whether the pain is being caused by MTSS (Medial Tibia Stress Syndrome, aka shin splints) or by a stress fracture: is the pain localized (one specific area) or diffuse (up and down the shin)? "Walk" your fingers along your shin and if you feel sharp pain at any one specific place, the injury is likely a stress fracture. If you don't feel pain at any one specific spot, and if the injury only hurts when you are running (stress fractures hurt all the time, even when there is no pressure on the shin) then you may just have an extreme case of shin splints.

In either case, my advice is to avoid impact sports for at least 8 weeks. Engage in a weight-training workout regime to increase your muscle strength, particulary in your legs. To maintain or possibly improve cardio fitness, try rowing, swimming or biking. If you're wanting to join the military in 3 months, you need that injury to heal as best it can before you start pulling those twenty mile equipment hikes.